Anthony Sabella wasn't fond of PennDOT after it removed a mile of trees along Route 22 that he says acted as a sound barrier to drown out the highway noise from his Bushkill Drive home.

It's gotten worse, he said.

He hears highway noise "24 hours a day" and rumble strips and the speed of vehicles both contribute to the noise, he said. He charges that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation isn't moving quickly enough to quell the problem, so he's planning to take matters into his own hands.

He's threatening to post a billboard overlooking Route 22 that reads: Welcome to Easton, Pa. The home of Lafayette College and the noisiest city in Pennsylvania due to Gov. Tom Corbett, PennDOT and Mayor Sal Panto Jr.

"I just want some peace and quiet," he said.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation subcontractors
removed the trees in September and early October, prompting complaints
by residents and city council members that the trail, a nature walk
along the Bushkill Creek just north of Route 22's cemetery curve, was
louder and more exposed to the highway.

PennDOT spokesman Sean Brown said the trees needed to be cut down to eliminate potential road hazards. The department has "definitely gotten some complaints" and has tried to address them in several ways, he said.

PennDOT had previously hired a contractor to fill in portions of the rumble strips to deaden some of the sound and officials have visited homes and spoken to residents directly, Brown said.

The department has listened to the concerned residents, but it's PennDOT's duty to operate safe roads, he said.

"It's very important to maintain the health of our roadways," he said.

Panto said he has received a few complaints from Sabella and other Bushkill Drive residents along with Jackson Street residents. The trees may have softened the sound, he said, but many of the calls he's gotten are in relation to the noise caused by the rumble strips along Route 22.

"It's the rumble strips that are a problem," he said. "They're new and they're deep in there."

The complaints have been reported to state Rep. Robert Freeman, D-Northampton, and PennDOT and "we'll just have to see what PennDOT's going to do about it," he said.

Though he claims he is not having any luck, Sabella said that one PennDOT representative and Freeman both went out of their way to try to resolve the issue.